Multispeed geared motor



Dec. 29, 1936. w. P. scHMlTTER E1.- A1.

MULTISPEED GEARED MOTOR Filed Aug. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NIHIIIIII|Dec. Z9, 1936. w. P. SCHMITTER ET Al.

MULT I SPEED GEARED MOTOR Filed Aug. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .mw-\ mwf, A m .L Nl Sw @w 5w mw. QQ .QN R. m. mw.

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Patented Dec. 29, 1936 PATENT OFFICE MULTISPEED GEARED MOTOR Walter P.Schmitter and Louis A. Graham, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application August 20, 1934, Serial No. 740,629

5 Claims.'

This invention relates to multi-speed power units of the so ycalledmotoreducer type.

Power units of this typel commonly comprise a speed reduction gear set,enclosed and supported by and within a housing to which an electricmotor is attached, and through which the power of the motor is renderedavailable at a reduced speed appropriate for any particular industrialuse. By reason of the reduction in speed thus afforded, relatively smallhigh speed motors are commonly used, such combined units being todayextensively employed throughout the industrial arts in place of theheavier and more expensive slow speed motors heretofore used.Furthermore these combined units eliminate the necessity for specialbeds such as were required when separate motors and speed reducers wereemployed.

A typical motoreducer is shown in the copending application of Walter P.Schmitter, Serial No. 682,542, filed July 28, 1933. The unit thereinshown involves an arrangement wherein gears of various sizes may beemployed to impart to the power output shaft any particular speed bestsuited for a given installation, but in many instances a plurality ofspeeds is desirable.

An object of the present invention is to pro- A, vide a change speeddevice which may be .readily incorporated in the unit shown in saidapplication.

Another object is to provideA achange speed mechanism in the high speedend of a multistage speed reducer so that the change speed mechanismwill not be subjected to the 'heavy torques involved in the low speedend and so as not to disturb or interfere with the adequate support ofthose heavy torque carrying gears at the low speed end of the unit.

Other more specific objects ,and advantages will appear, expressed orimplied from the following description of an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention.

In the accompanying drawings:-

Figure V1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a multi-speed power unitconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a larger scale of the change speedmechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The power unit selected for illustration issimilar in many respects tothat shown in the copending application hereinabove identified. Itcomprises a housing I0 having a mounting base II rearwardly extended, asat I2, to receive and support a conventional electric motor I3. The gearenclosing portion of the housing is separated from the motor by apartition I4 (Cl. 'I4-363) and is closed by an nd head I5 removablysecured to the forward end of the housing.

A power take-01T shaft I6, carrying a gear I1, projects forwardly fromthe housing. This shaft is journalled at I8 in the end head I5 and at I9in a bearing support 20, mounted in the housing and removable therefromwith the end head. The shaft I6 is driven yat reduced speed from acountershaft 2|, also journalled at 22 in the head I5 and at 23 in thesupport 20, the shaft 2| carrying a pinion 24 -which meshes with gearI1.

In this instance the countershaft 2l is driven at either of two speedsfrom the motor I3 through a speed-reducing, change-speed mechanismpreferable such as will now be described. For this purpose a doublegear, including a large gear 25 and smaller gear 26, is fixed to therear end of the countershaft.

The smaller gear 26 is permanently engaged with an externally toothedring gear 21 lxed by lock screws 21', or otherwise, to the forward endof a hollow shaft 28. The shaft 28 is supported in-and projectsforwardly from a cartridge 29 removably anchoredat its forward end in acentral hub 30 formed in the partition I4. An anti-friction bearing,having an outer race ring 3l anchored to and within the cartridge 29 andan inner race ring 32 fixed to the shaft 28 supports the forward end ofthe shaft; and another anti-friction bearing, having an inner race ring33 fixed to the rear end of the shaft 28 and an outer race ring 34slidably engaged with a sleeve 35, supports the rear end of the shaft.The hollow shaft 2B and gear 21 are thus adequately supported forrotation about an axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of thecartridge 29. t l

The sleeve 35 is closely fitted for longitudinal adjustment within thecartridge 29 and carries an endthrust anti-friction bearing 36 which isfixed to and supports the rear end of a shaft 31. The shaft 31 iscoaxial with the motor shaft 38, with the cartridge 29, and with thepower takeoil shaft I6, and is supported at its forward end by ananti-friction bearing 39 whose outer race ring is xed in a bushing 40provided in the bearingsupport 20. An extended sleeve 4I removably fixedto the forward end of the shaft 31 provides an adequate raceway for thebearing 39 in` all longitudinal positions of the shaft.

A pinion 42, fixed to the shaft 31, is axially shiftable therewith intoand out of engagement with the larger gear 25; andclutch teeth 43,formed on the shaft, are shiftable therewith into and out of engagementwith mating clutch teeth 44, formed on the inside of the hollow shaft28.

The arrangement is such that when the shaft 31 is projected into theforward position shown, the pinion 42 meshes with the larger gear 25 andthe countershaftZ lis driven at a speed less than the speed of the shaft31 and at a rate determined by the relative diameters of the pinion 42and gear 25. In this position of the shaft 31, clutch teeth 43 aredisengaged from teeth 44 so that the hollow shaft 28, with its gear 21in mesh with gear 26, is free to idle within the cartridge 29.

By shifting the sleeve 35 rearwardly the shaft 31 may be retracted, soas to withdraw the pinion 42 from engagement with gear 25 into the gear21, and so as to engage the clutch teeth 43 with teeth 44. In thatposition of the parts, the hollow shaft 28 is locked for rotation withthe shaft 31 and the countershaft 2| is driven through the gears 21 and26 at a speed less than that of the shaft 31. It will be noted, however,that with the shaft 31 thus retracted the speed of the countershaft 2|will be greater than when the shaft 31 is advanced, because the gear 21,is larger than the pinion 42.

Various means may be provided for thus shifting the shaft 31, but thatshown has proven wholly adequate for the purpose. It includes the sleeve35 and a control disk 45 rotatably seated in the cartridge 29. Adepending pin 46 eccentrically fixed in the disk 45 projects into aslide block 41 guided in a cross slot 48 formed in the sleeve 35, sothat when the disk is rotated through anfangle of one hundred eightydegrees from the position shown the pin 46 and block 41 coact with theslot 48 to retract the sleeve 35 and the shaft 31 to the second positionabove described, and a similar reverse rotation of the disk will returnthe shaft 31 to the -position shown.

The disk 45 is preferably actuated and controlled by a shaft 49 keyedthereto at its. lower end and journalled at its upper end in anappropriate bracket 50 Y xed to the top of the housing I0. The shaftshown is equipped with an operating handle 5| and a suitable detent 52for yieldably retaining the control mechanism in either of the twopositions above described. y

The shaftv 31 is operatively connected to the motor shaft 38 in a mannerto permit the longitudinal adjustment of the shaft31 above described. Inthis instance this connection includes a flexible coupling' 53 of afwellknown type having an elongated hollow hub 54 fixed to the end 55 of theshaft 31 and a similarly extended hub 56 splined onto a sleeve 51 keyedor otherwise fixed to the motor shaft 38. The coupling and its hub 56are free to slide lengthwise of the sleeve 51 to accommodate thelengthwise adjustment of the shaft 31.

The several bearings 3|, 34, and 36 are lubricated by oil splashed intothe cartridge 29 from the gear housing and by oil that may creeprearwardly along the shafts 28 and 31 from 'the gear 21 and pinion 42.An appropriate oil seal in the form of a ring 58 fixed in the rear endof the sleeve 35 serves to halt further creepage of this oil. Oildischarged from these bearings are returned to the housing throughappropriate ducts and channels 59, 50, and 6|. The rear end of thecartridge 29 is closed by airing 62 which is fitted closely to theclutch hub 54.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the inventionhereinabove specifically described without. departingfrom or sacrificingthe advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:-

1. In a power unit the combination of a housing, a power take-off shaftjournalled therein and projecting therefrom, a countershaft journalledin said housing, speed reduction gearing through which said first namedshaft is driven from said countershaft, two gears fixed to saidcountershaft, a hollow shaft, a gear thereon meshing with one of saidgears, a longitudinally moveable drive shaft extending through saidhollow shaft, a gear fixed to said drive shaft and engageable with theother of said gears when said drive shaft is in one position, andcooperating clutch elements on said drive shaft and said hollow shaftengageable to drive said hollow shaft when said drive shaft is inanother position.

2. In a power unit the combination of a housing, a shaft journalledtherein, two gears fixed to said shaft, a hollow shaft journalled insaid housing, a gear on said hollow shaft engaged with one of said firstnamed gears, a longitudinally shiftable drive shaft within said hollowshaft and projecting therefrom, a gear on said drive shaft, a clutchbetween said drive shaft and hollow shaft, and means for shifting saiddrive shaft to alternatively engage said last named gear with the otherof said first named gears or to close said clutch.

3. In a power unit the combination of a housing, a shaft journalledtherein, two gears fixed to said shaft, a hollow shaft journalled insaid housing, a hollow gear on said hollow shaft engaged with one ofsaid gears, a drive shaft within said hollow shaft, a gear on said driveshaft engageable with the other of said first named gears, said driveshaft being longitudinally shiftable to disengage said last named gearand enter the same into said hollow gear, and means for effecting adriving connection between said drive shaft and hollow shaft when saiddrive shaft is thus shifted to disengage said gear.

4. In a power unit the combination of a housing, a shaft journalledtherein, two gears fixed to said shaft, a hollow shaft journalled insaid housing, a gear on said shaft engaged with one of said gears, adrive shaft within said hollow shaft, a bearing for one end of saiddrive shaft shiftable to move said drive shaft longitudinally, a bearingfor the other end of said drive shaft, a gear on said drive shaftbetween said bearings and movable with said drive shaft into and out ofengagement with the other of said first named gears, and clutch meanseffective to connect said drive shaft with said hollow shaft when saiddrive shaft is shifted to disengage said last named gear.

\ 5. In a power unit the combination of a housing, a shaft journalledtherein. two gears on said shaft, a cartridgeattached to said housingand removable axially therefrom, a drive shaft and v'a surroundinghollow shaft journalled in said cartridge, gears on said drive shaft andhollow shaft cooperable with said first named gearsy to drive said firstnamed shaft, and means supportedby said cartridge for rendering one orthe other of said last named gears alternatively effective to drive saidfirst named shaft.

WALTER P. SCHMITI'ER. LOUIS A. GRAHAM.

